In my first week on Weight Watchers, I lost 3.6 lbs. I lost another 1.4 lbs this week reaching 5 lbs within 2 weeks! What I've noticed, however, is that my attitude towards weight loss has changed tremendously. Although I have cheated and messed up, I've been able to get back on track much quickly than without the WW points system. Their system has shown me not only how to recover from a bad day, but also that it can be done. Before, when I messed up, I'd start to feel worse about myself and continue to make bad choices for 3-4 days. With these tools, I'm able to recover quickly.
So, over the weekend, I was supposed to run 13.1 miles but ended up doing 11.5. It was excruciating! Remember when I said I messed up? Well, I certainly felt during the run. My legs felt tight and I had no energy to keep going. By mile 9, my legs were so sore, I had to sit down just to feel better. I had no choice but to finish; there was no one to take me home.
When I finally made it home, I could barely move. After a massage and 2 hours of rest, I made it to the bathroom. And there was white salt all over my face! This had never happened to me before but I recall that it's common among endurance runners. Apparently, I was low in sodium and my body was not hydrating correctly. Although I was drinking water, I was not giving my body the salt it craved. To avoid this problem in the future, I'm going to add Elete to the water I carry. I'll be adding Elete to my water the day before a long run and the day after. Some runners have died due to this condition, hyponatremia. You can read more about it here.